Be Still: 30 Devotions for the Hopeful Heartናሙና

Removing the Busy Badge

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. ROMANS 16:20 NIV

It’s hard to get a handle on time, isn’t it? It passes more quickly with each year. The days seemed longer “back then.” It felt a little easier to stay in our present, with our mind focusing on exactly where we were, who we were with, and what we were doing.

But the clock has not changed any, other than the fact that it has become a little square on our Apple watch instead of the ticking circle in the elementary school classroom. Each moment is as available to soak up today as it was then; it’s just that we are less available.

We have nurtured the myth that busyness equates to value and that a hurried lifestyle means an important life. But stacking our demands like dominoes and overcommitting ourselves does not make us popular or powerful. It only makes us less purposeful.

Busy is not a badge of honor. At the end of our lives, we will not want to be remembered for how many e-mails we typed or how many coffee dates we were able to fit into a month’s timeline. We will have wanted to have been intentional with those we love and selfless in those we serve.

We can slow it down. Nothing will catch on fire. Watch as Jesus multiplies our time and gives us the ability to pursue what matters most in each moment.

As we plan our days, why don’t we consult our heavenly Father on how to do so? Instead of claiming “busy,” let’s change it to “full.” And when we begin to question our importance, let’s ask Him for reminders of who we are.

Dear Jesus, thank You for the value you have placed over every one of Your children. We do not have to earn our significance, for You already claimed us by name. We will walk in that truth today knowing that You desire our time to be marked with intentionality rather than busyness. In Jesus’s name, amen.